: any of a genus (Abelia) of Asian or Mexican shrubs of the honeysuckle family having opposite leaves and white, red, or pink flowers
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These abelias can also be hard pruned every 3 to 4 years by cutting back old stems to the ground if the stems look bedraggled and aren’t flowering well.—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2024 Some abelias bloom on old wood and should only be pruned after flowering.—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2024 Recently, the Arboretum made thousands of contemporary images of its plants—from Abelia chinensis (Chinese abelia) to Zenobia pulverulenta (honeycup)—available on its own website.—Citizen Science Salon, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2017 My abelia, Soft Caress mahonia and pineapple guava all have burned leaves.—Janet B. Carson, Arkansas Online, 22 Feb. 2021 Fragrant abelia grows well in full sun or light shade in just about any reasonable soil.—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2020 This 6 to 8-foot tall, upright shrub is closely related to the more common and much smaller glossy abelia (A. xgrandiflora) that is so common in Kentucky gardens.—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2020 Prices for glossy abelia in a five-gallon container ranged from $14.95 to $49.50.—SFChronicle.com, 28 Feb. 2020 Some of them include: glossy abelia, beauty berries, hydrangeas, Bradford and Callery pears, crabapples, poplar, spruce, junipers, sumacs, cherries, and plums.—Leah Zerbe, Good Housekeeping, 8 Aug. 2018
Word History
Etymology
New Latin (coined in 1818), from Clarke Abel †1826 English botanist
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